First player suspended under PGA doping policy loses bid for restraining order to let him play

US Magistrate denies restraining order to Barron

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A U.S. magistrate has denied a temporary restraining order sought by a golfer trying to block a one-year doping ban by the PGA Tour long enough to let him play at a qualifying tournament in Houston.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Tu Pham ruled Monday that Doug Barron did not show a likelihood that he would win on his claims argued in a hearing Friday.

Barron, a 40-year-old professional from Memphis, was the first to be banned for violating the PGA Tour policy that went into effect July 3, 2008. Barron tested positive for the anabolic steroid testosterone and propranolol, a beta-blocker that calms nerves, at the PGA’s St. Jude Classic in Memphis in June.

The judge said Barron made a strong case that irreparable harm would be caused but ruled the harm to others and the public interest weighed in favor of denying the “extraordinary remedy” of the restraining order.